Halvarssons Holmen jacket in green / brown

The Halvarssons Holmen is a fairly simple and straightforward bit of kit. It's not flashy; and it's not particularly high-tech, but it's a nice-looking jacket. It's comfortable. It's pretty impressive from a protective standpoint. And it offers great value.

 

It's not dissimilar to a jacket that Halvarssons brought out a couple of years ago. That jacket is called the Solberg. There's a little bit less going on with the Holmen, but the Holmen is nicer to wear, looks cooler, and is quite a bit less expensive.

 

The outer chassis is constructed from a woven, polyethelyne fabric. This is interspersed with areas of stretch material that run up the flanks, and down the sleeves for a more comfortable fit. Down the tops of the arms, across the chest and shoulders, and into the back, you get a waxed cotton panelling. And it is this that gives the jacket a bit of a retro look. 

 

The jacket is backed with a membrane; and it's Halvarssons' longstanding, and ultra reliable, Dryway membrane. This won't let you down, but you need to know that we're talking about a drop-liner construction here, and not a laminated one.

 

The motorcycling world has convinced itself that it cannot leave the garage unless it's wearing a laminated jacket. This is nonsense, obviously. A drop-liner jacket will keep you dry. And it will do so reliably. Drop-liner garments rarely fail. Being easier to make, they tend to be less expensive. They tend to be more comfortable to wear. And they tend to be warmer. 

 

The only downside to a drop-liner jacket is the possibility of wetting out; but this will only happen after many hours in heavy rain. A jacket that gets wet, by the way, is not the same as a jacket that has 'wetted out'. Very few of us will ever experience proper wetting out. And if you really want to avoid it, just carry with you a waterproof over jacket like the Scott Ergo Pro. Wear this over the Holmen, and you will having something that, from a waterproofing perspective, will outperform the best from Rukka. 

 

Bottom line? Unless you commute more than an hour every day throughout the year, or unless you ride professionally, or do big miles on international tours, you don't need a laminated jacket. Not many people will need anything more waterproof than the Holmen.

 

The Holmen meets the AA standard for abrasion resistance under EN17092; and that's as good as you might expect. The armour in the Holmen is also Level 2, which again is not unimpressive. The jacket will take a D30 back protector, but you'll need one with Velcro. We do one, but we don't think anybody else does. The jacket is also compatible with a chest protector.

 

Most of the other stuff is just detail. We're talking about four, external, zip pockets. Pockets that double as vents on the chest. An exhaust vent on the back. Velcro adjusters at the waist. Zips and poppers at the ends of the sleeves. A zip that would enable you to zip into any Halvarssons pant. (Or you could use the Halvarssons Waist Zip so that you can connect the jacket to a pair of jeans).

 

This is the kind of jacket that anybody could ride on pretty much any kind of bike. Okay, you wouldn't wear it on a sportsbike, but you could wear it on any sit-up bike. It wouldn't look out of place on an adventure bike. It would be perfect for a bobber, a cruiser, a retro bike, a cruiser or a  classic.

 

But we would also see it as a great starter jacket for those who are new to biking. We often refer to Halvarssons' Lysvik jacket as a 'hallway' jacket, the kind of jacket that everybody needs for popping down to the shops. Well, the Holmen could also perform this function. The Lysvik is better vented than the Holmen, but the Holmen feels more substantial and robust. And it's certainly more stylish.

 

This is a jacket that can be whatever you want it to be. There are more technical jackets out there, but for the price you get a lot of bang for your buck with the Holmen.